Denver Summit sets NWSL attendance record with 63,004 fans

Denver Summit FC set a new National Women's Soccer League attendance record in its expansion franchise's first home game Saturday at Empower Field at Mile High, drawing 63,004 fans for a match against the Washington Spirit.

The crowd eclipsed the previous NWSL record of 40,091, set during a Bay FC match at Oracle Park in San Francisco last year, by more than 22,000 fans. The Summit had announced in November that it would play its inaugural home match at the Denver Broncos' stadium, with the explicit goal of setting a new league attendance record.

"This is a pinch-me day," team owner Rob Cohen said on the CBS game broadcast. "We set out a vision. … We wanted to have over 60,000 people here, and it looks like we accomplished that."

Janine Sonis, a Colorado native and Summit fullback, said she was moved to tears on the eve of the game. Sonis had long believed Denver was a prime location for a professional women's soccer team but was uncertain she would witness it during her playing career, let alone as a player signed to that team competing in a record-setting match.

In a postgame press conference, Sonis expressed hope that the attendance record would be broken soon. "I hope the record gets broken sooner rather than later," she said. "That's good for everyone. I think that if there's a motto that should be branded across women's sports, it's: If you build it, they'll come."

The NWSL expanded to 16 teams this spring with the addition of Denver Summit FC and Boston Legacy FC. Denver plans to construct its own 14,500-seat stadium with public funding.